Wednesday, January 07, 2009

I’ve actually been obsessed with the idea of lucid dreaming and being an oneironaut (even when I didn't know that word) for a long time. In college, when my then-boyfriend and I would go home for winter break and over the summer, we tried to astral project and have out-of-body experiences so we could see each other. It never worked, but we never stopped trying.

I’ve started doing some research and it seems the first step is to become aware of and remember your dreams. I’ve actually had some pretty spectacularly weird ones lately, including an awesome one last night with Henry Rollins, on whom I have had a HUGE crush for like a hundred years. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize it was a dream in time, otherwise I’d have been having some lucid fun with Henry. Damn.

Anyhow, another aspect of learning to lucid dream is knowing when you are dreaming (of course) and when you are awake. So I do reality tests pretty frequently, even when I’m sure I’m awake, mostly so I can engrain in my mind the act and then take it into the dream world with me. I figure if I make it a habit, then I’ll be able to continue doing it even when I’m asleep.

Anyhow, I'm only at the beginning stages, but I totally feel like I can get there if I focus. And I'm jealous of all of you who can do this without trying.

Location: I live in Pasadena, CA but originally I'm from Indiana. I've lived in Southern California for almost 16 years. Like Randy Newman, I love L.A., especially the palm trees, the skyline, and the view of the mountains after the rain. I've lived near USC, as well as in Glendale, K-town, San Diego, Westwood, and Long Beach.

Family: I grew up fairly middle-class in a Mexican-American Catholic family as the youngest of five children; I was the only one of us who who left the promised land until my oldest brother moved to Montana, of all places, a couple of months ago. I have oodles of nieces and nephews who I absolutely adore and I have the receipts from Toys R Us to prove it.

Personal: I'm a political junkie who has worked for an elected official, on a doomed presidential campaign, and for numerous non-profits. I read voraciously, almost anything I can get my hands on, but mostly blogs, food magazines, and fiction (not necessarily in that order.) I like to write but I don't do it often enough. I have a distinctive laugh and a double-jointed thumb. I am addicted to Yelp, Diet Coke, my Blackberry, red wine, and garlic.

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